


The Green Changeling

by KainVixenheim



Category: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Artemis is becoming Verde, Except the last three books never happened, Let me know if there should be other tags, Lots of OCs - Freeform, Very pre KHR canon, more characters will be added as they appear - Freeform, post Artemis Fowl canon, sorry about that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 18:17:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7449328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KainVixenheim/pseuds/KainVixenheim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Artemis.”<br/>“Yes Holly.”<br/>“Why is your hair green?”<br/>“Shut up Holly.”<br/>In which stealing fairy magic has some interesting side affects</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Green Changeling

**Author's Note:**

> This is set after Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony. I have shifted the time frame of the Artemis Fowl books back to the 1920s in order to make time for Artemis to grow up (for reasons which will later become clear) before the canon events of Katekyo Hitman Reborn in 2004. If my technological representation of the times is inaccurate, please do not be too harsh on me as I dropped History even before GCSEs, I also have a head canon where the Fowl Family is far ahead of the rest of the world anyway in terms of technology and are holding out on the world in order to use the technology in their thievery, add onto this that Artemis has been dabbling in Fairy technology and he would be far advanced from the rest of the technology at the time.
> 
> I have no idea how often updates will be, please be patient with me

Artemis appears to be 16  
1926

The first time it happened, Artemis had assumed it to be the side effect of one of the numerous experiments which he had been performing, nothing some hair dye wouldn't fix. The second time, he thought Myles and Beckett had been playing a prank, so, one upgrade to his room's security later and he assumed the problem to be solved. However, on the third occasion he woke up with green hair, Artemis was forced to admit that there must be something else at work.

Within a few weeks, it had become clear to Artemis that this was not a problem that was going to go away, in fact if anything it was getting worse. Whereas at first Artemis had woken up with green hair every other week, it was now happening every day. It had gotten to the point where Artemis kept a private stock of black hair dye in his bathroom.

Yet despite his constant investigation of why this phenomenon may be occurring, Artemis was still no closer to finding the reason, and he had the suspicion that it was only going to get harder to keep his hair naturally black. In fact, Artemis did not make any breakthroughs into the secret behind his condition until Holly came for a surprise visit during her compulsory vacation from section 8.

 

Fowl Manor  
Ireland

Holly knocked on Artemis's window, well aware that the mud boy she was visiting would not be awake at five in the morning. Her mischievous grin betrayed her joy at making life difficult for Artemis. It took a few minutes, though that was what Holly had mildly been expecting, before Artemis pulled back the curtains and glared sharply at her through the window.

When Artemis actually opened the window to let her in, Holly paused outside for a while before entering. As she moved over to sit on the desk she kept her eyes fixed on the anomaly that was Artemis's current hairstyle.

She sat in silence for a moment, gathering her thoughts as she tried not to just stare at Artemis.

"Artemis." She said slowly.

"Yes, Holly?" Came the answer, though from the tone of his voice she could tell he wasn't really interested in listening to her.

"Why is your hair green?" She asked after another moment of contemplating silence on her part, deciding to just go straight to the heart of the matter.

Artemis's hand flew immediately to his hair, pulling a strand down in front of his face. He stared at it for a long moment, though Holly noted there was no surprise in his expression, before letting go of it and turning away from her.

"Shut up. It just is. It's none of your business, anyways." He told her, sounding like a sulking child.

Holly shook her head, jumping off the desk she walked over to him with quick, deliberate strides. She took a strand of hair in her own hand, smirking when Artemis swung around suddenly, jerking the hair out of her hand in a way which must have been painful.

"What's this Fowl? Resorting to street language?" She snarked

Artemis gave her an irritated look. "Well you can hardly blame me, my current condition is hardly the most pleasant of situations to be in."

Holly blinked, then smiled warmly. "That sounds much more like the criminal genius I know and sometimes put up with."

"Hilarious." Came the bland response.

"Seriously though, what is with the hair?" Holly asked for the second time, dropping her smile and looking at Artemis with eyes that promised consequences should he fail to answer.

After a few seconds where the pair stared at each other in attempt to get the other to back down, showing just how little Artemis wanted to talk about his hair, Artemis sighed and gave in. "I will admit to being not entirely certain of the true cause behind the vicissitude involving my hair."

"Vicissitude?"

Artemis glanced at her, looking annoyed that he had to explain himself, "The change of circumstance."

Holly shrugged uncomfortably, "Well if you're going to use long and complicated words…"

"I will endeavour to keep my vocabulary as straightforward as I can" Artemis said in a deadpanned voice. "Why are you visiting at this time anyway?"

Holly made a face. "Section 8 kicked me out again."

"You mean you have been working too hard and the board decided you needed a vacation."

Holly sent Artemis a small glare, "......You could say that." She allowed after a moment of silence.

Artemis shook his head. "Besides, that is not what I meant. I wanted to know why you had to visit me at five in the morning."

Holly smirked. "But mud boy, I thought you liked it when I came to visit!"

Artemis glared at her. "Not at five in the morning, that is too early even for myself."

"And we all know that if Artemis Fowl doesn't do it then it must be sheer stupidity. Does this mean that being polite is silly as well?" She replied with a snort.

Artemis massaged his temples, bringing Holly's attention back to the green monstrosity that was his hair. She eyed it with no small amount of apprehension, "Seriously Artemis, what is with the hair?" She asked after a moment.

After staring at Holly for about a moment Artemis sighed then muttered something under his breath.

"Sorry? I didn't quite catch hear that." Holly told him cheerily

"I said, 'I don't know'" Artemis snapped at her crossly.

Holly blinked. "Wait, you're admitting that you don't know?"

"That is indeed correct Captain."

Holly frowned. "But what does that mean?"

"That is the matter I have been investigating since this first occurred nearly two months ago." Artemis spat, sounding disgusted at his failure in finding the cause.

Holly thought quickly, "Could it be some sort of prank from your brothers, I know they're only two, but they're still Fowls."

"You do not honestly believe that I have not already thought of that myself?" Artemis sighed. "I have upgraded the security around my room ten times, three of those times was with fairy technology. Not even my father could break into my room at this point."

Holly frowned. "I could call Foaly, he might know something."

Artemis smiled at her and Holly tried not to shiver at the vampiric nature it had despite being genuinely grateful. "That would be wonderful, I cannot believe I did not think of that myself."

Holly smirked. "Sometimes being a genius means you miss the obvious." She taunted.

"Then I am fortunate that you are not a genius." Artemis replied with a smirk of his own.

Holly gave a half pout. "Thanks Arty."

Artemis frowned. "Please don't call me Arty, my name is Artemis." He corrected her.

Holly grinned as she used her helmet to contact Foaly. "Not a chance Mud Boy."

 

Haven  
Section 8

Foaly was putting the finishing touches upon one of his newest inventions when the call from Holly popped up on his computer. He swiftly tapped the keyboard with one hand to answer the call as he used his other to turn up the music that he knew Holly hated, singing along for extra annoyance.

"Yeah, Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ark  
Oo-ooh-ooh, hoo yeah, yeah  
Yeah, yeah  
Yeah-ah-ah  
Yeah-ah-ah

Yeah-ah-ah  
Yeah, yeah, yeah  
Seven a.m., waking up in the morning  
Gotta be fresh, gotta go downstairs  
Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal  
Seein' everything, the time is goin'  
Tickin' on and on, everybody's rushin'  
Gotta get down to the bus stop  
Gotta catch my bus, I see my friends (My friends)  
Kickin' in the front seat  
Sittin' in the back seat-"

"Shut up Foaly!" Holly practically yelled at him over the connection

Foaly gave a whinny like snort and muttered, just loud enough so that he knew Holly could hear. "No one appreciates Mud Men classics anymore."

He turned sharply to the monitor when he heard a familiar voice reply "That was never a Mud Man classic." in a disgusted tone.

Foaly blinked. Rubbed his eyes. Blinked again. Nope, it was still there. Then he burst out laughing.

"Hahahahaha! Artemis! Hahaha! W-what did you do to your hair?! Hahahahaha!!"

Artemis sent him a glare expressing that no matter how much he disapproved of killing, he would be perfectly willing to do so if Foaly did not shut up immediately.

Foaly struggled his way through a few calming breaths. Once he had managed to calm down he looked back at Artemis. Only to burst out laughing again.

"Hahahaha! Sorry Fowl -hahaha!- it's just -hahahahaha!- you look completely ridiculous!! Hahahahaha!"

"Not as ridiculous as you will soon look, if you don't stop laughing." Artemis snapped at him, though the threat seemed to lose most of its effect over the screen. Nonetheless Foaly discreetly started arranging for a few upgrades to the security surrounding his work area, it didn't do to underestimate Artemis Fowl.

Holly interrupted before either of them could continue their conversation.

"Look, Foaly, Do you know what could have caused this?"

Foaly calmed down and eyed Artemis's green hair warily. 

"If it isn't hair dye then who knows?"

Foaly could see Artemis gritting his teeth as he replied. 

"Of course it isn't hair dye. Why on earth would I want to dye my hair green of all colours?"

Foaly smirked slyly. 

"Does that mean you'd dye your hair a different colour, like say Orange?"

All he got was a glare and no reply.

Foaly sighed and thought for a moment. 

"Look Holly, as much as I would love to help, there's nothing I can do from here. If Artemis comes down to Haven then I should be able to investigate from there, but that is it."

Holly grinned. "Then I guess we're going to Haven then."

Artemis sent her an alarmed look. "Wait, do I not get a say in this?"

"Nope!" Holly exclaimed cheerfully. "Get dressed Mud Boy, we leave in half an hour."

Foaly snickered as he watched Artemis eye Holly with an annoyed look. 

"Very well." He said finally. "But you will have to go and notify Butler what is going on."

Holly shrugged. "Sure thing."

She went to hang up the call, but Foaly quickly interrupted. 

"Wait a second." The pair paused to look at him. "Fowl, have you been dyeing your hair?"

"Of course I have Foaly, I cannot go out in public looking like this." Artemis said, sounding offended that Foaly would even suggest that he would not do so.

Foaly smirked. 

"That's just the thing Fowl, if I want to be able to run accurate tests then you can't dye your hair today."

Artemis glared at him. 

"Is that completely necessary?" He demanded.

"Yup~" Foaly said in a sing-song voice.

Artemis's glare darkened, though he gave a sharp nod and turned off the call without saying anything more.

Foaly let out a sigh of relief. In reality Artemis could have dyed his hair without consequences, Foaly just wanted to mess with the Mud Boy.

 

40 minutes later  
Shuttle

Artemis shuddered as he strapped himself into the backseat of the shuttle. He understood the physics of how the thing flew but that did not mean he had to like and trust it. After all, there was a reason that this particular shuttle was deemed a pile of junk. It was falling apart on top of being rusty with outdated technology for the navigation and steering. Not to mention, Captain Holly Short was well known for enjoying so-called 'thrill' rides. Not that Artemis ever considered them 'thrills'. To him they were dangerous stunts that any self-respecting person would happily avoid.

As he did up the straps he found himself testing their safety, ensuring he could quickly release them if it was needed. Holly was talking about something as he did so, probably teasing him about his fear of being in a shuttle.

"Artemis!" Holly yelled suddenly and Artemis jerked his head up.

"What?" he snapped, a little irritated that he wasn't allowed to dye his hair a respectable colour.

Holly rolled her eyes.

"Lighten up Mud Boy, I was only asking if you were ready for take-off."

"In that case I am fully prepared to torture my body with unnecessary G-forces in this outdated piece of machinery." Artemis told her sharply.

Holly sat down in the pilot's seat, though Artemis heard her mutter 

"Annoying Mud Boy" under her breath as she strapped herself in, giving the controls a quick test before powering up the shuttle.

Artemis tensed as the shuttle sped up, staying silent and giving Butler a dirty glare as he gave a small chuckle at his discomfort. No matter how content he was with their less formal relationship, Artemis did miss the days when Butler didn't seem to take joy at his expense.

The ride to Haven was just as uncomfortable as Artemis had remembered it to be. He tried his best not to stumble as he climbed out of the shuttle, though he found himself having to use Butler for support. Thankfully his old friend did not tell Holly about his short moment of weakness and instead gave him the time to recover on his own.

Holly smirked at him and Artemis knew that she was perfectly aware of the way he was hiding his weaknesses even though she did not say so aloud. "Come on Mud Boy!" She called, "Foaly's this way."

 

20 minutes later  
Haven  
Section 8

In Foaly's opinion, Artemis's new hair colour was even more hilarious in person and spent a good three minutes rolling around on the floor of his laboratory laughing loudly before Artemis snapped at him to shut up.

Foaly got back to his feet and became serious. He swiftly yanked a few hairs out of Artemis's head ignoring the Mud Boy's protests, although he kept a close eye on Butler as the man cracked his knuckles.

A few minutes and a DNA scan later, found Foaly analyzing the results as they appeared up on the screen. As he read, he tried not to get distracted by the way Holly was impatiently tapping her foot, but kept finding his attention drawn by the tapping of her feet.

"Would you stop that?" He asked Holly, without taking his eyes from the screen, "It's very distracting."

"Sorry." Holly muttered, and the tapping stopped, though Foaly could see that her fingers were now twitching instead through the corner of his eye.

"Look," He said with a voice of forced calm. "I know you field agents don't like sitting around waiting for results all day, but could you at least try to be patient."

"Indeed." Artemis said with a drawl. "Your fidgeting could potentially cause Foaly to miss a crucial piece of information which would cause this process to take longer."

Holly simply rolled her eyes and sat down on one of the chairs in the laboratory, eyeing what looked to be a folder of unfinished paperwork on the desk before her. Actually, it looked to be more than a folder of unfinished paperwork as the stack seemed as though it would fall on top of her at any given moment.

"Annnnnnd there ya go." Foaly said triumphantly and gestured to a section of the code that was on the main screen. "That's your problem."

Holly looked at it and raised an eyebrow. "And for those of us that aren't geniuses?"

"Genii." Artemis clarified absentmindedly. "Well, basically what is being shown is that there is a severe anomaly in my DNA."

"Not just an anomaly, Fowl." Foaly corrected. "I get why a mud boy like yourself would never have seen something like this. After all, that's Fairy DNA grafted to your own."

Artemis's eyes widened. "Fairy DNA?" He repeated incredulously.

Foaly smirked. "That's right Fowl, need a hearing check?"

Holly on the other hand was still trying to process what she had just been told.

"Are you telling me that Fowl isn't a Mud Boy anymore!?" She asked in disbelief.

Artemis frowned. "I had not thought of it in that way, but yes you are correct."

Foaly gasped suddenly. "Wait a sec, if Fowl's not a Mud Boy, then that means he's a Fairy."

Holly blanched at that thought. "But that means he's a criminal. He got away with thieving our gold before because those were the rules when dealing with Mud Men, but a Fairy would just be locked up. Not to mention it's illegal to Mind Wipe one of the People."

Artemis snorted. "Trust you to go straight to the laws when finding out I have become one of the People. Besides, I doubt any of that will be a problem."

Holly blinked. "Why not?" She asked.

Foaly shrugged. "It's because it is unlikely he was one of the People back then."

Artemis nodded. "Exactly. When we consider that I have only been displaying symptoms of being a Fairy quite recently, it is not unfounded to assume that I only gained my Fairy DNA recently."

Foaly continued. "It is probable that it occurred during your visit to Limbo. You mentioned that Fowl gained Magic during his trip, and that you and he swapped eyes. That accounts for the Fairy DNA entering his body, and the magic would have ensured that his own DNA would not have rejected the new DNA."

Holly blinked. "Okay?" she replied, still mostly unsure, but from the sounds of things it was unlikely that they had broken any major laws concerning Artemis.

"Actually, you were rather lucky Fowl." Foaly continued, ignoring Holly's reply.

"In what way?" Artemis asked with narrowed eyes.

With a shrug of his shoulders Foaly replied. "If you had even the smallest of a fraction less magic than you did after you came back then we would be experiencing something rather different now."

Holly blinked. "What do you mean?" She asked. "And please, speak slowly enough that I will be able to keep up."

Foaly glanced back at her before continuing. "Well, if Artemis hadn't had enough magic, then his body would have tried to reject the Fairy DNA. He would've had enough magic to graft the two DNA strands together, but not enough to ensure they wouldn't try to reject each other. He would have wound up with Changeling Syndrome."

Holly let out a sharp gasp of horror. Butler chose that moment to ask his own question, having been silent for the majority of the conversation "Changeling Syndrome?" He asked.

Holly nodded. "We don't know much about it. There hasn't been a recorded case since we left the surface. Most regard it as more of a legend than a true disease."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Yes, but what is it?"

Foaly pulled up a file on his computer. "Changeling Syndrome can show itself in numerous different ways. It can strip a Fairy of their magic, warp your personality into near anything. But the worst cases are said to lead to the Atlantis Complex."

Artemis winced at that. He knew what the Atlantis Complex was, having found it on one of Foaly's servers once. "I suppose I must be thankful that such a thing did not occur in this case." Noticing Butler's confused expression Artemis quickly explained. "The Atlantis Complex causes Paranoia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Hallucinations and Dissociative Identity Disorder, not the best of combinations.

Foaly frowned. "We do have to think about something else now though."

In a frown, Holly asked, "What?"

"Even as only a half Fairy, a changeling, Fowl is still one of the People now." Foaly pointed out. "The People aren't supposed to live on the surface."

Butler knitted his brows at that. "You can't force Artemis to remain in Haven."

Artemis nodded. "My own preferences aside, my father would not hesitate to tear it apart the world should a member of the family go missing, despite his new views on the world. Especially when you consider that I have only recently returned from my last disappearance. I wouldn't be surprised if he is able to track down the People."

Foaly snorted. "He wasn't able to do so before."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Indeed, however last time there was clear evidence of my being involved with unsavoury contacts immediately prior to my 'kidnapping', not to mention that Butler was there to back that assumption up. Should I remain here, then Butler would not willingly return to Fowl Manor without me, leaving no one to mislead my father's searches."

Holly winced. "Artemis is right Foaly, if he could find us at eleven, then his father would definitely be able to track us down now."

Foaly grumbled under his breath and then sighed. "Fine. I can see the logic in that. But that doesn't explain how we're going to handle this, now does it?"

Holly groaned. "Yeah, there's no way the council would just let Artemis return to the surface if they knew about this."

Butler was the one who came up with the solution to that problem. "Just do not tell the council. So long as they do not know then there will be no problems"

Artemis nodded. "That could work, and if anyone wishes to know the reason behind my visit you could simply tell them that I was being paranoid about my green hair, it is the truth, only you should boast that it is the result of a prank you have been playing on me."

Foaly grinned. "That would work Mud Boy."

"Not a Mud Boy anymore Foaly, I'm a Changeling now." Artemis replied with a vampiric smile.

 

Fowl Manor  
The Next Morning

Butler and Artemis pulled up in a car, having left Holly back at Haven. Artemis sighed as he saw his mother waiting for him at the entrance to the house. He had a feeling he was going to get in trouble for disappearing for the entire day without telling her where he was going.

Artemis climbed out of the car and waited as Butler parked the car before walking over to meet his mother.

"Mother." He greeted, hiding his feeling of apprehension behind an unfeeling mask.

"Arty." She greeted in turn, her facial expression one of disappointment.

Artemis winced inwardly, desperately attempting to hide his embarrassment at having been caught acting out. He dreaded the knowledge of what his mother was about to tell him. Or at least what he knew that she suspected of him.

She did not say it, but he could read it in her face. Her disappointment in him, her fear of what he was doing whenever he disappeared. She knew about the Fowl business, and now that his father was on her side concerning what was expected of him in regards to him, it had become all the more difficult to get away with underworld dealings. But what made this particular incidence the worst was that in this case Artemis was innocent, and yet he could not prove his innocence without revealing the People.

"You father and I wish to speak with you in the parlour." She told him seriously.

Artemis discreetly took in a calming breath, overriding the emotions urging him to snap at her.

"Of course mother." He told her, his face concealing his raging emotions.

She then glanced at Butler. "Ah, Butler. You can wait with Juliet, this is a private family discussion."

Artemis clenched his fingers at that, Butler was his bodyguard, his friend. What right did his mother have to order him around?

Nonetheless, Butler had to obey, and did so with a nod of his head and a simple, "Of course Madam Fowl."

After Butler had left, Artemis followed his mother to the parlour, where his father was already waiting.

"Artemis." His father greeted, business like and cold despite his recent preaching of becoming 'a real family'.

Artemis nodded in return, just as calm as his father.

His mother sighed. "Arty, Timmy, please. This is a family discussion, not a business meeting."

"Of course Angeline." His father agreed with a small smile. "Though it is . . . unfortunate as to why we must be here."

His mother nodded in agreement, her expression radiating her disappointment.

"Artemis." She started, though already Artemis was analyzing her, trying to stay two steps ahead of her, trying to guess what she was going to say. "It has come to our attention that you have been spending a lot of time on your own."

Artemis did not move as he replied, "I am a grown adult now Mother, eighteen years old, I am perfectly within my rights to spend more time on my personal business."

His father shook his head. "That is not what we are worried about son. I know that during my years in the hands of the Russian Mafia, you were greatly involved in the running of the Fowl Criminal Empire."

Artemis allowed his point with a small nod. "That I was Father, I have admitted to this in the past. We have held this conversation before, and you know how I dislike repeating myself."

"Indeed." Artemis Fowl Senior acknowledged. "But that is not what I am addressing."

"So why bring the matter up now Father?" Artemis asked, hoping to speed up the conversation, he had other things to do, information to acquire, he needed to find out how much becoming a Changeling had affected him biologically and mentally. Would he be able to perform magic? He placed the question away at the back of him mind for further contemplation at a later time.

His mother was the one who answered his question in the end. "We are concerned that you are not upholding your word to stay out of criminal enterprises. Artemis, we want to move this family onto the right side of the law. We want what is best for you. Can't you see that?"

"I can see that quite clearly mother." Artemis snapped. "Just as clearly as I can see that you are attempting to constrict my choices and control my future when I am at an age where I am legally entitled to do as I wish."

"Artemis." His father chided. "Do not speak to your mother in that way."

"I will speak to my mother as I wish, father." Artemis told him. "You are no longer in charge of me, if fact you have not been for a very long time now. I am an adult, and I will be treated as such!" He spat out furiously. How dare his family attempt to control him, he may not physically be an adult, but he certainly was one legally.

"Artemis!" His mother exclaimed in horror.

Artemis took a deep breath and reconsidered his wording. "I apologize." A pause and another deep breath. "That was rash of me, it appears I am not completely past the stage of puberty wherein my emotions are a little . . . unstable."

Artemis Fowl Senior nodded. "Naturally my son, it is only to be expected, you are still young after all."

Artemis gave them a strained smile as thanks for their forgiveness.

"And that is the very reasoning that has led me to my current solution." His father continued.

Artemis frowned. "Solution?" He asked. "I see no reason for drastic actions father, it was but a mistake in my wording."

His father shook his head slightly. "That may be so Artemis, but it shows how you need to mature. If you are to become a businessman, a legal businessman, then you will need to grow up, to control your urges."

Artemis's eyes narrowed. "I am perfectly capable of doing so father. I was under the impression that you wished for our family to stop hiding from each other, including our emotions and true beliefs. If you wish me to do otherwise, then I am willing to attempt to do so."

His mother sent him a sad look. "That is not what your father meant Artemis."

"Then what did he mean then?" Artemis asked, once again concealing his emotions behind a blank mask. "State your intentions clearly, I do not enjoy this evasion of the true matter of discussion."

Angeline Fowl sighed. "Very well Artemis, we are enrolling you in University." She told him.

"We already have enrolled you." His father told him when he saw the way Artemis opened his mouth to protest and attempt to convince them otherwise. "You need to complete your education Artemis, you cannot change our minds in this matter."

Artemis frowned, resisting the urge to tell his father of the numerous University degrees he already had to his name. Those were under false names and would not help him here, if anything they would only help to convince his father that he was still involved in underworld activities. This really could not have happened at a worse time, with his new discovery of being a Changeling, it would have been best to avoid other people for the time being, but University life would not allow that.

"At the very least," He said eventually, "tell me where you are sending me."

His mother smiled happily, no doubt believing that Artemis had accepted their decision. "We have enrolled you in the University of Bologna."

"It is in Italy." His father mentioned. "So you will have to learn the language, it should be an excellent experience for you."

Artemis frowned, it was unlikely that this was the true reasoning behind sending him to Italy, it was far more likely that this was a thinly veiled attempt to cut him off from any underworld contacts he may still have in Ireland. They would see his studying in Italy as an event which could betray their information to the Mafia, yet at the same time the Italian Mafia would not accept a criminal from Ireland into their ranks very easily. It was sound reasoning, despite being such an obvious ploy.

"Very well Mother, Father." He replied. "I assume you have arranged lodging for me there. When do I leave?"

His mother smiled at him. "You will leave in a week's time. That way you should have two weeks or so to familiarize yourself with Italy before the school year starts."

His father cleared his throat. "What subject do you wish to study?" He asked.

"What? Haven't already decided that for me?" Artemis snapped, though at his father disapproving look he replied seriously. "Mathematics, is that suitable in your eyes, Father?" After all, Mathematics was one of the few subjects he did not already have a degree in, and it was not as if he would have to work very hard for it, Mathematics was more logic than anything else. Studying it would leave plenty of time for a few . . . extracurricular projects.

When he saw his father's nod of approval, Artemis left the parlour, heading to his study to inform Butler of his change in plans.


End file.
